Special Needs BasicCare (SNBC) for people with disabilities

Special Needs BasicCare (SNBC) is a voluntary managed care program for people:

Certified disabled by Social Security Administration (SSA) or State Medical Review Team (SMRT),
Ages 18 through 64, and
Who have Medical Assistance (MA).
If you have Medicare, you must have both Medicare Parts A and B.

This program is managed by health plans at no additional cost to the member. With SNBC, you keep all the benefits of MA, and may get additional benefits like:

A designated person at the health plan who helps you receive the care and support services you need. This is often referred to as a care coordinator or care navigator.
A 24-hour nurse phone line to answer questions about your health.
Tips for navigating your healthcare needs.
The option to join a health plan advisory committee to provide insight to health plans regarding health care needs for people with disabilities.

Choose between two SNBC plans
There are two programs for you to choose from within SNBC:
- You can enroll in SNBC for MA and get your Medicare fee-for-service. This is called SNBC Non-Integrated (SNBC-NI) or
- Combine your MA and Medicare services into one plan. This is called integrated SNBC (I-SNBC).
Currently, Medica, PrimeWest Health, South Country Health Alliance, and UCare offer an option to combine your Medicare and MA into a single package of coverage. To learn more about the integrated coverage, contact the SNBC health plans available in your county, or access the SNBC directory.

The Guide to SNBC enrollment (PDF) has information about covered services and key things to consider when choosing a health plan.
What is covered by SNBC?
The following is a summary of the types of covered health care services. Some health plans may offer some additional benefits. Please call the health plan to learn more about additional benefits offered.
- Acupuncture services
- Adult mental health rehab services including crisis services, assertive community treatment (ACT), adult rehabilitative mental health services (ARMHS) and intensive residential treatment services (IRTS)
- Advanced practice nurse services
- Behavioral health home
- Cancer clinical trials
- Care management services (acute medical)
- Certified community behavioral health clinic
- Chemical dependency treatment
- Child and Teen Checkups (C&TC) program services
- Children’s residential mental health treatment
- Chiropractic services
- Clinic services
- Community health worker services
- Community paramedic services
- Dental services
- Disease management
- Early intensive development and behavioral intervention (EIDBI) services
- Family planning services
- Health care home services
- Home health care, specifically home health aide (HHA) services, skilled nurse visits (SNV), and home care therapies (physical therapy [PT], occupational therapy [OT], respiratory therapy [RT] and speech therapy [ST])
- Hospice services
- Inpatient hospital services
- Interpreter services
- Laboratory, diagnostic and radiological services
- Medical emergency, poststabilization care and urgent care services
- Medical supplies and equipment
- Medication therapy management (MTM) services
- Medical transportation
- Mental health services, including diagnostic assessment and testing, crisis assessment and intervention, day treatment or partial hospitalization, individual and family group therapy, inpatient and outpatient treatment, neuropsychological assessment and rehab, medication management and targeted case management
- Nursing home services (the health plan will pay for 100 days for people admitted from the community; additional days will be paid by MA fee-for-service coverage)
- Obstetrics and gynecological services
- Outpatient hospital services
- Physician services
- Podiatry services
- Preadmission screening (PAS) and OBRA Level 1 (NF)
- Prescription and over-the-counter drugs not covered by Medicare Part B or D
- Prosthetic and orthotic devices
- Psychiatric residential treatment facility
- Public health services
- Reconstructive surgery
- Regional treatment center services (under certain circumstances)
- Rehabilitation and therapeutic services (PT, OT, RT and ST)
- Transplants
- Treatment of end-stage renal disease (ESRD)
- Tuberculosis-related services
- Vaccines and immunizations
- Vision care
Services continued through MA fee-for-service or through your county or tribe:
- Abortion services, as allowed by state and federal law
- Child welfare targeted case management
- Circumcision for newborns, as allowed by state law
- Individual education plan (IEP) and individual family service plan (IFSP) services
- Intermediate care facility for people with developmental disabilities (ICF-DD) services
- Long-term-care coordination (LTCC)
- Moving Home Minnesota (MHM)
- Nursing home services (after the first 100 days, which are paid for by the health plan)
- OBRA Level 2 assessments
- Personal care assistance (PCA) or Community First Services and Supports (CFSS)
- Home care nursing (HCN)
- Relocation service coordination (RSC)
- Vulnerable adult-developmental disability (VADD) targeted case management
- Waiver services, including Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI), Community Alternative Care (CAC), Brain Injury (BI) and Developmental Disabilities (DD) program services
How do I find out which health plans offer SNBC?

SNBC is administered by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) and health plans under contract. It is available statewide, but the health plan choices vary by county. Depending on your county of residence, there may be more than one health plan that offers SNBC. For this information, refer to the map of SNBC health plans by county (PDF).

Before enrolling, find out which SNBC health plans are available in your county by using the SNBC health plan map or SNBC directory. You should also check the provider network listings for those in the directory to see if you can keep your current providers, verify prescription coverage, and review the health plan provider handbook.

Some people are not eligible, including some noncitizens, people who have certain types of other health insurance, people who are residents of a regional treatment center, who have a spenddown at the time of enrollment, and others.
Cost and Spenddown Information
There is no additional cost to enroll in either Integrated or Non-Integrated SNBC programs. Some members even save money because there are:
- No copays for MA-covered services, prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs (but you still have to pay your Medicare Part D copays).
- No health plan premiums, deductables or co-payments.
If you are on Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD) or have a spenddown, you must continue to pay your MA-EPD premium or spenddown to remain eligible for MA.
Members who turn 65
SNBC members are disenrolled from SNBC when they turn 65 years old. Members with a birthdate on the first of the month will be disenrolled from SNBC on the last day of the month before they turn age 65. All other members will be disenrolled from SNBC on the last day of the month they turn age 65.
- You will be enrolled in a Minnesota Senior Care Plus (MSC+) health plan for your MA if you are eligible.
- If you have both Medicare and MA, you can also choose to enroll in Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO), a managed care program that combines your Medicare and MA into one health plan.
- If you are unable to enroll in a senior managed care plan, you will get your MA as fee-for-service coverage.
You will get a letter 90 days before your 65th birthday to let you know of the change in your health plan options. If you will be turning 65 years old, you can call the Senior LinkAge Line® at 800-333-2433 for help with your health plan questions.
Will I have to change my providers if I join SNBC?
It depends. You will not have to change providers if all your providers are part of an SNBC health plan network. Please check with the health plan to ensure your providers are covered.

You will not have to change providers for the following services, which will be paid through MA fee-for-service (often referred to as straight MA) coverage:
- Personal care assistance (PCA) services/Community First Services and Supports (CFSS)
- Home care nursing
- Brain Injury (BI) waiver services
- Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI) Waiver services
- Community Alternative Care (CAC) Waiver services
- Developmental Disabilities (DD) Waiver services
How do I opt out of the program or disenroll after I join?

If you have been asked to choose an SNBC health plan, it is optional. If you don't want to enroll, you can opt out of the program by completing the SNBC opt out form .

If you are in SNBC, you can disenroll at any time, to be effective the first of the next month.

If you only have only SNBC Non-Integrated, you can contact the SNBC health plans or the Disability Hub MN™ at 866-333-2466 (this call is free) and tell them you want to disenroll. Or you can send a signed letter to your health plan stating that you want to disenroll.

If you have Integrated SNBC, either contact your health plan directly, or contact DHS Health Care Consumer Support (HCCS) by phone at 651-297-3862 or toll free at 800-657-3672.
Health Care Advisory Committee Meetings for Seniors and People with Disabilities
Upcoming Plan Changes and Updates
- As of January 1, 2025, HealthPartners will no longer be accepting new enrollee’s for SNBC programs.
- As of April 1, 2025, HealthPartners will no longer be providing SNBC to members.
Who Do I Contact with Questions?

For questions about SNBC health plan choices or enrolling, call the Disability Hub MN™ at 866-333-2466, or send an email to disabilityhubmn.org. This call is free.

For questions about SNBC health care providers and services, or questions about the assignment of a care coordinator or navigator, contact the SNBC health plan.

For information on finding health plans available in your county, locating providers within your health plan, and checking prescription coverage, visit the SNBC Directory.

For information about rights and responsibilities while enrolled in SNBC, visit the Guide to SNBC enrollment (PDF). This guide also has information about filing an appeal or requesting a State Appeal hearing if you disagree with a decision made by a health plan.